


gowned

by Esbion



Series: would smell as sweet [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Desi Character, F/F, Ficlet, Fluff, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26223049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esbion/pseuds/Esbion
Summary: “No peeking,” Lily said sternly. “She isn’t ready yet.”Rose sighed, fiddling with the blindfold over her eyes. She could hear Lakshmi on the other side of the room, getting her makeup done. She couldn’t wait to see her.“It’s a stupid rule, I want to see my bride.”For HP August Femslash minifest
Relationships: Rose Weasley/Original Character(s), Rose Weasley/Original Female Character(s), mentioned Parvati Patel/Lavender brown
Series: would smell as sweet [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/876000
Kudos: 16





	gowned

“No peeking,” Lily said sternly. “She isn’t ready yet.” 

Rose sighed, fiddling with the blindfold over her eyes. She could hear Lakshmi on the other side of the room, getting her makeup done. She couldn’t wait to see her. They’d done their dress shopping separately, at Lakshmi’s insistence. “It’s a stupid rule, I want to see my bride.”

“You will in a minute.” Lily reassured her. 

As she waited, Rose listened to the sounds around her. She could hear the people walking around and chattering upstairs; people had already started arriving to the Burrow. They were having a relatively small wedding, just family and friends of both brides, but between the Weasleys and the Patels, that still totaled to over a hundred people. Having big families was one of the many things they had in common.

Rose heard the door open.

“Rose?” someone called. 

“Yes?” Rose said. 

“Oh, sorry,” the person said, and Rose recognized the voice as her mother-in-law, Parvati. “I meant the other Rose.”

That was one of the other things Rose had in common with her fiancee. Their name. Except that Rose was Lakshmi’s home name rather than her “good” name that she used with outsiders. 

For years, Rose had thought the Rose inscribed on her upper arm meant that she was like Tom Riddle, having her own name as a Mark. A heartless person who didn’t deserve a soulmate. She had told herself it didn’t matter, that Marks were just a glorified form of Divination which was a bullshit subject anyway. She covered her Mark at all times with a floral arm cuff, even when she was hooking up with someone. She had thought love wasn’t for her. But then she’d met Lakshmi, at the Magical History museum where she worked. They had clicked right away, both of them shared a love of old books and magical artifacts. It started as a friendship and grew into something more, something comfortable and natural and nothing like she’d imagined. Soon she went to meet Lakshmi’s parents and that was when she discovered that when they thought outsiders weren't listening, Lakshmi’s parents called her Rose (the floral name chosen in rememberance of Parvati's own soulmate, Lavender). Lakshmi had never told her because she thought Rose already knew they were soulmates. 

It made no sense, of course. Rose’s cousin, James, had the exact opposite problem with his Mark, which was Edward-- his boyfriend Teddy’s legal name rather than his nickname. When Rose asked Albus, a huge Markology nerd, why this was, he simply said “it varies” which Rose understood to mean “I have no idea.” So she was still convinced that Marks weren’t that useful.

But hey, it was nice to know she wasn’t like Lord Voldemort. 

“Yeah, Ma, I’m almost done,” Lakshmi said, and Rose heard a hint of impatience in her soon-to-be-wife’s voice. She was just as eager to see her bride as Rose was. 

Rose reached for her blindfold again, only for Lily to swat her hand. “No peeking, remember?” 

Rose gave a pout.

“Okay, done.” Lakshmi announced. 

Rose toook her blindfold off. 

There she was. Rose had never seen her looking like this, dressed in a red silken lehenga, her long skirt adorned with gold embroidery and dozens of tiny mirrors that glittered in the light. The matching veil was draped over her head and gleaming gold jewelery, embedded with precious stones, dangled from her ears and forehead. Her eyes were lined with dark kohl, making them stand out. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes looked brighter than ever.

“What do you think?” Lakshmi said.

“You’re gorgeous,” Rose said breathily.

She glanced into the full-length mirror. Rose wore a classic white off-the-shoulder tafetta dress with the unique addition of hand-spun gold lace, complementing the gold on Lakshmi’s outfit. Both of them have white-and-red rose garlands draped around their neck, and delicate henna designs, painstakingly applied by Lakshmi’s family members at the mehendi last night, all over their arms. 

On their upper arms, Rose and Lakshmi both have the same name inscribed in the other’s handwriting. It’s a beautiful kind of parallelism. The two of them standing next to each other, looking almost regal. Today they were queens.

Rose reached for Lakshmi’s hand. Her hand was warm, soft, and it seemed to fit perfectly in her own. “Ready to go?” 

“Yeah,” Lakshmi said. 

All of a sudden, Rose is conscious that everyone else has left the room, giving them a moment of privacy. She puts an arm around Lakshmi, pulling her closer. In return, Lakshmi drapes her arms around her neck and leans in for a kiss. Their mouths meet. The embroidery on Lakshmi’s blouse feels scratchy against Rose’s exposed neck, but she doesn’t care. She kisses her bride slowly and softly, savoring this time, knowing this is the last moment of privacy they’ll get all day until night time when they can curl up together exhausted. Time passes, she doesn’t know if it’s seconds or minutes. 

They kiss until they can’t breathe.


End file.
